The Blogs | The Times of Israel » Michael Lipkinhttp://blogs.timesofisrael.com
The Marketplace of IdeasSun, 02 Aug 2015 17:27:37 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3‘You drive? Your husband lets?’http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/you-drive-your-husband-lets/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/you-drive-your-husband-lets/#commentsMon, 08 Jun 2015 13:24:43 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=391311A little over 14 years ago after my youngest daughter was born, my mother-in-law treated my wife to a few days at a post-natal care center in Lakewood, New Jersey. These facilities are generally utilized as respites by ultra-Orthodox Jewish women who have busy households with many young children awaiting them immediately after childbirth. Thus, […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/you-drive-your-husband-lets/feed/45At War – Head Vs. Hearthttp://blogs.timesofisrael.com/at-war-head-vs-heart/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/at-war-head-vs-heart/#commentsThu, 31 Jul 2014 19:36:02 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=314160My head and my heart are at war. Intellectually I understand, to put it simply, that “war is hell”. I believe that we are the good guys in this fight and that we truly make every effort, far beyond what other nations do, to minimize civilian casualties. I even understand that, like in World War […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/at-war-head-vs-heart/feed/24What’s At Stake Here?http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-are-we-fighting-for-2/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-are-we-fighting-for-2/#commentsMon, 21 Jul 2014 05:27:34 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=307966While it is painful to witness the human suffering caused by the latest skirmish in Gaza, people need to understand what is really at stake here. We are at the nexus of a clash of civilizations that will make the Cold War look like child’s play. If you’re a woman, black, gay, Christian, atheist, Jew or […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-are-we-fighting-for-2/feed/0Seder Wars in Beit Shemeshhttp://blogs.timesofisrael.com/seder-wars-in-bet-shemesh/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/seder-wars-in-bet-shemesh/#commentsTue, 29 Apr 2014 06:00:32 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=273622For the past several years the Ethiopian community in Beit Shemesh held a communal Pesach Seder in three locations in the city mimicking their ancient tradition. In past years the Bet Shemesh municipality helped subsidize these Seders to the tune of 10,000 – 13,000 Shekel per year. This year the subsidy from the city was […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/seder-wars-in-bet-shemesh/feed/1Beit Shemesh election – Disappointing, but there is hopehttp://blogs.timesofisrael.com/bet-shemesh-a-victory-for-extremism-but-there-is-hope/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/bet-shemesh-a-victory-for-extremism-but-there-is-hope/#commentsWed, 12 Mar 2014 08:04:23 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=252146In the wake of the disappointing victory of the incumbent mayor, Moshe Abutbol, I certainly share many of my neighbors’ wishes that we now work to heal our city and move forward. We woke up on the morning after the election and nothing important has changed. We still have our wonderful families, friends and neighborhoods […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/bet-shemesh-a-victory-for-extremism-but-there-is-hope/feed/6God And Google Are Watchinghttp://blogs.timesofisrael.com/god-and-google-are-watching/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/god-and-google-are-watching/#commentsFri, 22 Nov 2013 09:41:08 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=193244Most adherents to monotheistic religions believe, to some extent, that there is an omnipotent and omnipresent entity involved in the world and their lives. In Judaism, while this concept is ever present, it comes to the fore during, and just before, the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. During this time especially, Jews […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/god-and-google-are-watching/feed/1Do The Burqa Women Have It Right?http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/do-the-burqa-women-have-it-right/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/do-the-burqa-women-have-it-right/#commentsThu, 29 Aug 2013 16:54:36 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=162746No, I’m not referring to Moslem women in places like Iran, Saudi Arabia, London and Dearborn, MI. Right here in Israel, in places like Jerusalem and my town of Bet Shemesh, there are growing numbers of Jewish women who are draping themselves, and their daughters, from head to toe in layers of black. The modern, […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/do-the-burqa-women-have-it-right/feed/8Is Jonathan Rosenblum ‘Schizo’?http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/is-jonathan-rosenblum-schizo/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/is-jonathan-rosenblum-schizo/#commentsSun, 16 Jun 2013 08:30:18 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=135798First, I must apologize for using such a crass, insensitive, and medically inaccurate word in my title. However, the word “schizo” is in quotes for a reason. It is because the title is an ironic twist on a similarly titled article written by the my title’s subject, Jonathan Rosenblum, in a recent issue of Mishpacha magazine. […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/is-jonathan-rosenblum-schizo/feed/26Why I switched from Likud to Yesh Atidhttp://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-i-switched-from-likud-to-yesh-atid/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-i-switched-from-likud-to-yesh-atid/#commentsThu, 24 Jan 2013 16:51:23 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=97866There’s probably not much I can add to all that has been, and will be, written about Israel’s 2013 parliamentary elections. However, I can give you a little insight into my thought process in deciding which party to vote for. (Here’s a great overview of the results by the Times of Israel’s David Horovitz.) I’ve generally considered myself a […]

]]>http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-i-switched-from-likud-to-yesh-atid/feed/2Is Rabbi Aviner living in the past?http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/is-rav-aviner-living-in-the-past/
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/is-rav-aviner-living-in-the-past/#commentsSat, 29 Dec 2012 16:41:22 +0000http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/?p=89438Recently, here in Israel, there has been some tumult over a statement by a leading rabbi whose views hold great sway over many members of the Religious Zionist camp. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner answered a question submitted to him via SMS regarding the proper blessing to make when a parent finds out that his newborn baby has […]